TONY Mowbray has talked in recent weeks about his desire to make the run-in exciting for Sunderland fans. Well that’s certainly proving to be the case.

A top six finish had looked unlikely for a while for the Black Cats but after following up their win at Cardiff with a hard-fought home success against Birmingham City, they’re right in the mix.

The gap to the play-off places is now just a single point with the visit of Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield on Tuesday night now undoubtedly the biggest game of the season so far.

Sunderland deserve immense credit for their comeback victory against the Blues. It had the look of being another frustrating Stadium of Light outing when George Hall gave the visitors the lead in the first half against the run of play.

But Trai Hume levelled in first half stoppage time before a moment of pure class from Amad Diallo 14 minutes from time. What a talent he is.

Sunderland were made to work hard, particularly after Dennis Cirkin was sent off three minutes after Amad’s strike. But there was no repeat of the late Hull City drama and the Black Cats saw it out for a crucial victory that will further lift spirits – and boost play-off hopes – on Wearside.

Sunderland started on the front foot and carved out two openings in the first five minutes.

Patrick Roberts, back in the team in place of Abdoullah Ba, cut in from the right and tested John Ruddy. Moments later, the keeper was beaten after good work on the right from Amad and Lynden Gooch but Alex Pritchard was denied by a brilliant goalline clearance.

Sunderland were doing all of the early running and probing but there was an early warning – and it was one that the home players will have been warned about by Mowbray.

Mowbray signed Lukas Jutkiewicz a decade ago when he was at Middlesbrough so is well aware of the striker’s aerial prowess. Knowing about it and stopping it are two very different things, and Jutkiewicz should have done better when he rose highest to meet a corner from the left but guided his effort wide of the far post.

After being second best in the early exchanges Birmingham settled and went close just before the 20-minute mark when Tahith Chong forced a good save out of Antony Patterson.

Chong was the game’s best player in the early stages and had the beating of Cirkin down Birmingham’s right side. It came as no surprise that when the visitors opened the scoring, it was was the former Manchester United youngster at the heart of it. Birmingham were helped, in no small part, by Sunderland though. The hosts conceded the ball sloppily in the central area of the pitch. It was quickly worked out to the right to Chong, who could have shot but calmly teed it up for George Hall to tap in.

Sunderland didn’t learn from their mistake and again cheaply conceded possession in their own half 10 minutes after the opener. This time, Patterson was equal to Jutkiewicz’s effort from the edge of the box.

For all they looked shaky at the back, Sunderland did respond well to falling behind and ended the first half as well as they’d started it. Mowbray’s side enjoyed a period of pressure and forced the equaliser deep in stoppage time when Hume was on hand to head home from close range after the hosts kept the ball alive in the box from a Pritchard corner.

Sunderland didn’t manage to take their momentum from the end of the first half into the early stages of the second and it was scrappy after the break. Birmingham did a good job of stopping the hosts from playing and Chong remained a threat. He created a chance for Khadra that was well saved by Patterson and wanted a penalty when he went down under the challenge of Jack Clarke, but there was nothing in it and the claims were rightly waved away.

Mowbray turned to his bench and introduced Luke O’Nien and Joe Gelhardt and the changes almost had an immediate impact. Roberts played it into the feet of Gelhardt and received the return pass but looped his one-on-one effort over the bar when he looked certain to score.

Sunderland had awoken from their slumber again. Clarke had a header saved after good work on the right from Amad and Pritchard.

The winning goal was worth waiting for. Clarke switched play from left to right and there was still plenty to do when Amad received the ball. But he only had one thing on his mind as he charged at the Birmingham defence, cut inside and found the bottom corner.

Sunderland had 14 minutes to see it out but that task was made more difficult when Cirkin was sent off after picking up his second yellow for a foul on Chong three minutes after the goal.

It was a nervy finale but Sunderland dug deep to see it out.